Groups representing Scottish Jews said they have “considerable reservations” about a report published by the Church of Scotland to mark the centenary of the Balfour Declaration.

A statement by the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities (SCoJeC), supported by the Glasgow Jewish Representative Council, was issued on Thursday in response to the publication of a report titled ‘Embracing Peace and Working for Justice’.

The report, produced jointly by the World Mission Council and the Church, includes a resolution that condemns Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which Jewish groups say shows a lack of objectivity.

“We have considerable reservations, in particular the proposed Deliverance (resolution) which condemns Israeli settlements, but not Palestinian terrorism or Hamas’s institutionalised antisemitism,” said SCoJeC.

This week’s report, which will be presented to the forthcoming Church of Scotland General Assembly, states that “Christian theology should not be used to justify or perpetuate a situation of injustice”.

A SCoJeC spokeswoman said: “We are also puzzled and concerned that the report explicitly casts doubt on the two-state solution and the Church of Scotland’s support for a two-state solution, despite this remaining the agreed policy of the international community, and without any suggestion of what might be a just and viable alternative.”

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On Wednesday, September 20, 2017

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